Burial Ground Research

Dulwich Burial Ground

Details

Published: 23 August 2016

Last Updated: 19 September 2018

2016 marks the 400th anniversary of the historic Burial Ground which has been at the heart of Dulwich Village since 1616. Originally planned by the well-known Elizabethan actor/manager, Edward Alleyn, as part of his charity, Alleyn’s College of God’s Gift, it was consecrated by the then Archbishop of Canterbury on 1 September that year following a service at Christ Chapel at the nearby ‘Old College’ earlier in the morning.

The burial ground is unusual in having no church on site and, while clearly visible from the surrounding streets, it is not open to the public. Although burials have taken place since 1616, including victims of the 1625 and 1665 plagues, the earliest visible grave stones and monuments date from the early eighteenth century. It was declared full in 1858, and only a few more burials were allowed, the last in 1918. It remains largely untouched since that time – the quiet country church yard ambience within five miles of central London is unique.

Unfortunately many of the inscriptions on the graves are no longer decipherable but, luckily, records of the names of all those buried there are held by the Dulwich College Archives.

As part of the 400th anniversary commemoration the Society’s local history group has researched the 114 graves and monuments that are visible on the site and prepared a schedule which gives the names, details of the inscriptions and, where possible, some background on the individuals interred there. (Download the PDF)